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Mrs Cross was stabbed to death an hour after police were called to her street in Hemel Hempstead to investigate reports of a prowler.

Her 38-year-old husband Danny, an IT manager, was working away from home at the time of her death on Monday evening.

The mother-of-two ran a greetings card business from the £200,000 townhouse. Her family’s tribute said: “Our Nikki is the heart and soul of our family.

generous, brave and incredibly talented

Nicola Cross's Family

She was kind, generous, brave and incredibly talented.

“The most beautiful person inside and out, Nikki was the perfect wife and the most amazing mummy.

“She installed core belief in our children to never give up and we will continue what she has built, which is a solid loving family who will remember her with undying love.”

The family said they now wanted time to “begin to come to terms with the tragic, untimely loss of our beloved Nikki”.

Friends and well-wishers left two dozen bunches of flowers outside Cross family home.

PA

Flowers are laid outside the house where Nicola Cross was stabbed

At yesterday’s brief hearing, Porczynski was flanked in the dock by a security guard and spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.

Wearing a grey tracksuit, he stared impassively ahead throughout his appearance and kept his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

Proceedings were explained to him by a Polish translator and his solicitor gave no indication of what his plea would be.

Porczynski came to Britain last year from his home city of Kielce, central Poland. He was remanded in custody to appear at St Albans Crown Court today. A 19-year-old man has been bailed until next Thursday after being arrested at the same time as Porczynski on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle.